Chronicles of Betrayal
by Lady Anatui
Summary: RLEV, SBOC. At the end of the First War, the death of Katerina Watson leads to an investigation and a series of events that could uncover the truth about the downfall of the Marauders.
1. The Black Report

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor any of the characters from the series. Katerina Watson, however, does belong to me. So do a couple other later OCs._

_Well, first off, let me tell you that this was written several years ago after the fifth book came out. So, therefore, it's not written all that well--especially the first chapter--and it's probably not compliant with the Deathly Hallows. Honestly, I don't really remember because it's been so long since I read this over. Why else would I have not stated the names of the other OCs that I own? Dur._

_Oh, and this only has seven chapters, and I should be updating quite frequently because I finished it ages ago._

_Anatui_

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**The Black Report**

Katerina Watson walked slowly through the clutches of the Dementors, closely following Cornelius Fudge. Azkaban Prison was far worse than she had ever imagined but she had a certain criminal to which she had to talk. They halted before cell number 286 and looked inside. She was stunned by the image that was brought to her eyes. And so it seemed was Fudge.

Inside was a man huddling in the corner. Although he seemed to act normally enough, his appearance proved the contrary. His eyes were dark and hollow, filled with anger and possibly regret. His skin was old and rugged. His hair was matted. To Kat, he looked positively dreadful.

"Minister, could I speak with Mr. Black alone?" she asked, thinking back to her school days and remembering what had happened to her best friend and her husband.

"Why would that be necessary, Miss Watson?" asked Fudge.

"I feel, sir, that he would be more comfortable talking with an old friend than the Minister of Magic. At Hogwarts we were rather close, as Lily Evans was my best friend and James Potter his."

"What does it really matter? All of England will read it in the _Daily Prophet_ later."

"On some subjects he may feel constricted and angry because he knows that you would not like half of what he is saying. I would like his version of the entire story and not a messed up version that he was forced to create with you here. Although, knowing him as I did, I would not expect him to keep quiet about it." She looked closely at the mumbling figure inside the cell, and then back to Fudge. "Please, sir."

"Very well. I shall not be too far away. Just call if you need me. Be fast, Miss Watson," he said, turning back the way they had come.

Kat looked closely at the cell and cleared her throat, trying to catch the attention of the man inside. He stirred but paid no mind other wise. "Sirius Black!" she snapped.

"What do you want, Kat?" he asked, not turning around but merely lifting up his head.

"I'm here for an interview, Black. And you have no right to call me that again."

"And why not?"

"You sold our best friends to Voldemort!" she cried. A few other inmates began muttering about how she had no right to call him anything other than the Dark Lord. Both ignored them. "How could you do that to them? To us? Think of what we all had at that time. We were happy—all of us!"

"One of us wasn't."

"How could one of us not be happy? Lily and James were married. They had a son. You were his godfather. There was Remus and Peter and Emmeline." Her voice grew quiet. "And us. There was us, Sirius. How could one of us not be happy?"

"Easy. Voldemort wasn't getting what he wanted. He needed their information. And so easy it would be for him to get information from one of their friends."

"Will you stop talking about yourself in third person?"

Sirius walked over to the edge of the cell, just inches from her. "This conversation is over, Watson," he said. "Go back to London. I'm sure that Moony and Vance would like to comfort you. You guys are still friends, right?"

She nodded her head, too angry and sad to say anything. She took a deep breath and said, "I'll be back to talk to you more later." She turned on her heel and walked toward Fudge, tears growing in her eyes.

Sirius slowly stood up, waiting for Kat to return. Fudge had returned to tell him that she would be back in a couple of days. And two days had passed, so he waited for her return. He stood quietly and listened to the sounds of the other people. Suddenly, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He clung to the bars and waited.

Kat walked toward the dreaded cell of 286. Finally she stopped in front of the cell—and its prisoner. "Hello again, Mr. Black," she said coldly, not daring to look at him.

He slowly looked up and replied, "Hey, Watson."

This time she brought a chair and sat down beside the cell. "Okay, I want you to tell me why you became a Death Eater and betrayed Lily and James."

"And who said I did?" he asked.

"Are you saying you aren't a Death Eater and that you never betrayed our friends?" she asked, amazed that he could so easily deny it.

"Why not? No one can prove the contrary."

"What do you mean? Surely there is someone that has the information they used to incriminate you."

"Information they used to incriminate me? All they ever had was that I had been their Secret Keeper."

"Which I find to be plenty enough."

"But I wasn't. I thought that Voldemort would surely go after me because I was their best friend, so I told them to change the Secret Keeper to," he said, pausing and grimacing, "Pettigrew."

"Peter? But you killed him, didn't you?"

"I meant to. But he did what I should have expected him to. To tell you the truth, I would have to tell you a whole story of lies and trust. And right now I don't know if I can trust you. I haven't seen you in years, Kat."

"Sirius, tell me."

He leaned closely to the edge of the cell, as close as he could get to her. "Would you like to know a secret?"

She nodded.

"Come closer."

She pulled in, her face barely an inch away from his.

"I still love you," he whispered, pulling her lips to his by her chin with a rough hand. After a moment, he let her go and pulled away. He turned and spoke. "Go," he said. "You shouldn't come back. You shouldn't have come in the first place. Voldemort will come back and he will have knowledge from his Death Eaters that you are a so-called ally with his enemies."

"I already am his enemy. You know that I was there with the rest of you and Dumbledore. I'm not afraid of him and I know you aren't either."

"Go now. Don't come back."

"I have to."

"Don't."

"Goodbye, Sirius." She turned to leave.

"So, Kat, what about that story on Sirius Black?" asked Mrs. Henderson, the editor of the _Daily Prophet_. "What do you have on it?"

"I can't do it, Mrs. Henderson," Kat sighed, looking up from her desk. "Because of personal reasons."

"I never thought I'd see the day," she said, looking down at the girl before her.

"That what?"

"That you'd not take a case. What personal things could be in your past with Sirius Black?"

"We went to Hogwarts together. He and his friends were the Marauders. I was friends with Lily Evans and Emmeline Vance. Lily is dead, along with her husband, his best friend. Emma and Remus are still my friends. Another one is in hiding from Voldemort. And Sirius is in Azkaban."

Mrs. Henderson cringed at the name.

"So how could I talk to him when we have such a past? All I know is that he didn't do it."

"I still don't understand, Kat."

"I love him—as I have since our sixth year in Hogwarts. Victoria, I'm sorry, but I quit. I have things I have to fix in my life."

"Good luck, Kat."

Kat sped into Azkaban prison, stopping before cell 286, trying to catch Sirius's attention. "Sirius!" she snapped.

He walked toward the cell door. "What are you doing here? I told you not to come back!"

"Sirius, don't you understand? I'd rather stay here with you than live a life with the richest man in the world."

"Go, Kat. You shouldn't be here."

"But I love you, damn it!" she hissed.

"Go."

She rushed from the edge of the cell, tears rolling down her face.

"I love you still, Sirius," whispered Kat, letting her tears run freely. She glanced down at the cliffs below and the water slashing up against the sides of the ocean. "You told me not to go back. And so I will never return. Goodbye forever…."


	2. The Watson Investigation

_Well, here's another chapter. Better than the first, but still not very good. Oh well. Some people are reading it anyway._

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**The Watson Investigation**

Luther Watson slowly paced his study, sipping a small glass of brandy. He had not heard from his daughter in a few days and she seemed to have disappeared. He remembered that she had recently taken a case on an old friend from Hogwarts, one Sirius Black. Sirius had been Katerina's boyfriend in their last year and that had continued until his arrest in 1981, the year that their best friends, a married couple by the names of Lily and James Potter, had died, due to Sirius's betrayal. It had taken Kat a while to believe it, but when the fact that Sirius was their Secret Keeper came forward it had to be true.

Mr. Watson stopped before his desk and looked at the papers sitting atop it. He had written down a few notes, concluding the following:

_Katerina – missing two days and counting  
__December 14 – went to Azkaban to write a paper on Sirius Black  
__December 18 – was supposed to meet me for dinner at the _Waterton_, never showed  
__Later that evening – owled her without a reply  
__December 19 – owled the _Daily Prophet_, she had quit the previous day and disappeared  
__Later that evening – reported missing by my wife, Caroline_

That was yesterday. But this morning he hired a private inspector, Jonathon Page, to search for her, dead or alive. Inspector Page was a young man with stamina and brilliance, and was very trusted by Kat's good friend Remus Lupin. Remus, who had also been friends with Sirius Black, was very trustworthy and kind, though he seemed to get ill an awful lot. Mr. Watson thought naught of it and continued to roam his mind in concern. Page went to work quickly, learning all he could from Mr. and Mrs. Watson before taking off to search for Katerina Watson.

Jonathon Page sat down next to his good friend Remus Lupin. "So tell me what happened in the past few days. You said Miss Watson was acting weird in the last day you saw her. How exactly?" he asked, trying to act as professionally as he could.

"Kat was acting like she had in seventh year at Hogwarts: a little giddy," replied the werewolf. "Of course, I'm pretty sure that resulted from seeing Sirius again. They had been in love—well, at least she with him. I'm not so sure if he actually loved her anymore. He did betray us, after all."

"What do you mean by giddy?"

"Well, when I saw her on the 15th, she was all angry and upset. It was just after she returned from the island. It must have been really hard talking to him after what he did. But the next day she returned, she seemed excited and happy. Then on the 17th, she was sad. I tried to get her to tell me what she knew—what went on—but she wouldn't budge. She said that she really wanted to tell me, but she couldn't. I wish I knew what had happened. Maybe we could find her if she had. I'm sorry, Jon. I can't help you anymore. Nothing else happened."

"Thanks, Remus," replied Jonathon. "I am truly sorry, you know."

"I know," he sighed, looking down at his mug of Butterbeer.

"I wish I knew her before this happened."

"You make it seem as if she is already dead."

"I can't tell. I don't know. I wish I did. But whatever it is, her way of reaching us is dead, whether she herself is or not."

"I wish I knew what happened at Azkaban. You should probably check in on Sirius Black at the prison. I don't think he'll tell you what happened, but it is worth a try. He could tell you one small thing that could help."

"I will tomorrow. In half an hour, I am meeting Victoria Henderson to talk about why Miss Watson quit. Maybe that could help." Jonathon stood up and made his way to the door with Remus behind him. "Thank you for your help. I will tell you when I find something. Goodbye." He nodded and stepped out the door.

A half hour later, Jonathon Apparated to the Daily Prophet and went to see Victoria Henderson, Kat's previous boss. Knocking on her door, her secretary, Lauren Meeks, opened the door to him. After acknowledging his appointment with Mrs. Henderson, Miss Meeks allowed him entry. He slowly stepped inside the office and said hello to the lady behind the desk. "Good evening," he said.

"It doesn't seem so good. After Mr. Watson called to ask about Kat and tell me of her disappearance, I've been worried sick. I do hope she is all right. Please don't tell me she's dead, will you?" the woman pleaded.

"I'm sorry to say that I don't know, Mrs. Henderson."

"Well, buddy, what questions have you? I don't know where she went off to. She said she had to fix things in her life. She told me about her past at Hogwarts: something about You-Know-Who and Black in Azkaban. Lily Evans and her husband dead, Emmeline Vance and Remus still her friends. But she mostly spoke of her past with Black. I asked her about her past with him. She told me all that and that he didn't do the crime he was put in Azkaban for. Then she just quit. It didn't make any sense to me. But what do I know? I'm just her employer—ex-employer, mind you. Questions?"

"Just like that? She quit just like that?"

"You bet your boots, she did. I said that I still didn't understand and she told me that she loved him—Black. Just think of it. That murdering traitor. Of course, because she loves him, I'm not surprised that she thinks him innocent. Love can ruin the senses and clog up the mind, after all. Is that all or do you need more information? Not that there's much information I can give you."

"No, that's just what I needed. Thank you for the time."

Jonathon walked along the beach, as he did almost every night, thinking over his cases and trying to piece together the great puzzle that had formed. The shore was so rocky that he hardly noticed the large black spot ahead. The sun, having been down for nearly an hour, did not light the sky, so he was unable to see the thing coming up. Suddenly, he tripped on a large soft something. He fell, tumbling to the earth. When he sat up, he lit a match and held it over the body, examining it while the small light shined. The fire burned his fingers and he dropped the match onto the wet sand. Then he remembered his wand and pulled it out, muttering, "_Lumos_!"

The sudden fire at the tip of his wand lit Katerina Watson's face and body. He examined her water-beaten corpse and nodded his head: it was indeed the missing person. After comparing it with Remus's picture of the girl, he was positive it was her.

Mr. Watson sighed after hearing the news from Inspector Page. "What was the cause of death?"

"It was the force of hitting the surface of the water. From the bruising, she hit face down, which means she was probably not pushed, although that is not a fact. It could have been murder. But from all the accounts, I don't think anyone would be out to get her. I think it was suicide. No matter, I am going to see Sirius Black at Azkaban. Even if he won't give me any information, he still deserves to know she is dead. Besides, Remus told me he needs to know."

"Thank you, Jonathon," Luther Watson said, bowing his head and taking a large gulp of brandy.

Sirius Black's cold gray orbs stared at the door of his cell, leaning back against the wall. Soon Cornelius Fudge and some "pretty-boy" walked down the line and stopped before cell number 286. "Good evening, Mr. Black," said Fudge, carrying a paper of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Hey, Fudge," he said quietly. "What do you want now?"

"Mr. Jonathon Page, a private inspector here, would like a word with you." He turned to the man beside him. "Do you mind if I stay here or should I go?"

Inspector Page glanced at him. "Stay," he said. He walked closer to the cell. "I'm here to talk about Katerina Watson, Black."

"What about Kat? She hasn't been here for three days," said Sirius.

"I need to know what you two were talking about when she was here."

"Why?"

"We are investigating something important."

"What important thing would have to do with Kat?" He stood up and walked toward the bars to look closely at the inspector inquiring him.

"She's dead."

"Dead?" he asked, his eyes widening in shock and sadness. "How? Was she murdered?"

"Possibly," the inspector said.

"What do you mean possibly? You should know by now!"

"Easy, bud," said Page. "Don't make me frustrated. But we need to know what happened here. She quit her job after her last day here, telling her employer she needed to clean up her life. We don't currently understand what she meant by that."

"Why would I know?"

"You were the last one to talk to her before that."

"She must have tried to get away. I told her not to come back, for her own safety."

"Aha!" exclaimed Fudge. "You threatened her and had one of your flunkies kill her by pushing her off a cliff!"

Sirius ignored him. "Doesn't Remus know? Why isn't he here?"

"Mr. Lupin knows of your crime and wanted to stay far away," said Fudge.

"She didn't tell him?" snapped Sirius.

Page sighed. "Mrs. Henderson did say that Miss Watson thought you innocent, but blamed that on the ignorance of love. Miss Watson only told her employer that, not even Lupin or Vance."

"Damn!" barked the caged dog.

"Can't you just tell us what you told her?" Page questioned. "If you are innocent, we can help."

"I'm not telling you a thing. All I know is that only Voldemort's men would murder her if anyone would. All the same, they wouldn't have pushed off a cliff. They would have tortured her first and you should know that. Why would _I _have flunkies push her off a cliff? I loved her, always have. I can search for the rat on my own."

Jonathon thought on the matter, wondering why Black had used the term _rat_. To sniff out a rat would mean to find the traitor. And, if Black was sniffing out a rat, it would mean that he was innocent of the crime. But Black didn't say _sniff out a rat_. He said _search for the rat_. What did he mean by that? What did _rat_ mean?

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_Thanks for reading. Please leave me a review!_

_Anatui_


	3. The Page Finding

**The Page Finding**

Remus Lupin knew that Jonathon Page was an excellent private inspector. But that wasn't the only thing that bothered Remus. He had been told to believe that Sirius was guilty and did not doubt it for a second. After the two deaths of his other friends and the incarceration of his last friend, Remus was almost completely alone.

He had met Jonathon, a Muggle-born, one night at a bar two days before the full moon. A while passed and they grew to trust each other. Remus eventually told him of his monthly cycle, so to speak. It was Jonathon who had told him of Wolf's Bane, the potion that turned him into a harmless wolf. All through their friendship, Remus had known him to be perseverant and pigheaded. Jonathon was one of those people who just wouldn't give up. And so it was the case here too. Case—what a weird word for something like this. Though it was not an official case, it was still a case where Jonathon had to find the answer.

When Jonathon spoke to Remus, Remus too couldn't make heads or tails of the story. When Sirius had said, "search for the rat," he immediately thought of Peter Pettigrew, an old friend. But Sirius had been the one to kill Peter. All that was left of the poor guy was his finger. Still when they transformed, it was Peter that had turned into a rat so that he could calm the Whomping Willow and allow entry for the others. Was it possible that Peter was alive? No, Sirius had killed him and given the whereabouts of Lily and James Potter to Lord Voldemort. He sold them out—sold them all out.

Search for the rat. Search for the rat. The line repeated in his head over and over again. If Peter was alive, did that mean that he killed Lily and James and that Sirius was innocent of the crime? However much Remus might wish that to be true (he had always liked Sirius more than Peter), it was not. And it never would be.

Remus sighed and resigned to picking up a quill and piece of parchment. He began to write a letter to Jonathon, but stopped in the middle. "I'd rather tell him in person," he said.

Jonathon sat up in bed at the hotel. He glanced at the clock. It read 3:17 am. He turned off his alarm and got up. He couldn't waste more time here. After dressing messily and grabbing his car keys, he rushed out of the room. He found his car with a note face down on the hood. He picked it up and read it:

_Do not proceed with this investigation, Inspector Page. Though you may be curious and headstrong, you are putting Mudbloods, half bloods and Mudblood lovers on the line. Do you want to risk all those people? We're still out here. We are watching you and your friends._

The note barely scared him. Sure, he was risking the lives of all those people, but he wanted—needed—to find out the truth behind it. Was Sirius Black innocent or guilty? And if he was innocent, who really betrayed Lily and James Potter to You-Know-Who? Supposing that he was, this is what Black had meant. Who really did the murder was what he had to find out. It was his duty to Remus and Kat—in Kat's honor.

He slipped the piece of parchment in his pocket and opened his car door. After getting inside and closing the door, he put the keys in the ignition and started the car. Pulling out of the parking lot, filled with empty cars, he drove toward Remus's house. At last he arrived, but he found the house empty. The last sign of Remus was the beginning of a letter. It read:

_Dear Jonathon, I have thought of something that could be helpful to your personal investigation. Please meet me—_

And so it ended. But there was no sign of a struggle. Not even the ink was tipped over. Jonathon could not think of any other reason that Remus would so suddenly leave a letter unfinished. Perhaps he got an urgent owl or was stunned. But there was no sign of a break-in—of course the door was unlocked. It could have been someone that Remus knew. But who would want to kill or capture poor tender Remus Lupin? Or maybe Remus just left? Whatever the reason, he was gone.

Jonathon quickly made his way from the Lupin household. He could not speak to Remus at this time, but he needed to go over what he had. Perhaps he should visit the people she had seen just before her disappearance. That would include only Remus Lupin, Victoria Henderson and Sirius Black—plus all the other prisoners that could have heard the conversation. Since he couldn't speak with Remus at this time and he doubted that Mrs. Henderson would know anything, he wanted to travel to Azkaban Prison.

When Jonathon arrived at Azkaban, he was permitted by a Dementor. He did not trust them, fearing that they might betray the Ministry of Magic, but he did not voice this opinion. Besides, he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, not the Ministry. He couldn't trust the Ministry. He made his way to cell number 284, the one right beside Black's cell. The person in the cell was Matthew Pierce, who had been moved into the prison on December 14.

After describing Kat to the man, he asked about her conversation with Black. "Did you notice any odd behavior between the two?" he asked.

"Why should I tell you what I sees?"

"It would be helpful to an investigation about the girl's death. We are trying to figure out why she killed herself."

"That doesn't give me reason to be tellin' you of what theys spoke of."

"It is important to our investigation."

"I doesn't care what happens to poor little girls."

Jonathon pursed his lips in annoyance. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Pierce."

"What is that an inspector would want here in Azkaban?" called a woman in the cell across from Black.

He turned and took a good look at her. She looked evil—completely and utterly. He knew exactly who she was: Bellatrix LeStrange. She was Sirius Black's cousin, who had married Rodolphus LeStrange, who was also in Azkaban. He walked toward her cell. "I'm investigating reason behind a suicide," he said when he stood before her cell. "What do you care about it, Mrs. LeStrange?"

"This is about Siri's lover, isn't it?" she asked, glancing tauntingly at Sirius across the hall. "If you want to know anything about them, just ask me." She smirked. "I'll do anything to hurt the devil."

Now Jonathon was confused. He knew from Remus that Black never got along with his family because they were all involved with the Dark Arts. But Black had joined Voldemort and his family, so why did she hate him still? All the more evidence to put in his case. It all pointed to Sirius Black's innocence. "What do you know about Katerina Watson's death? How do you know?"

"Well, three days after the girl's last appearance here, you and the idiot Minister came in here and spoke with Siri. I heard him shouting about some girl being dead, so it was pretty obvious. He had loved her—don't know why. She was a Mudblood-lover, just like him—not to mention a blood traitor," she said.

"Did you ever hear what they were talking about before we came in?" he interrogated.

"There was a mention of his innocence and something about the Pettigrew traitor."

"Really?"

"Would I lie?" She smirked again.

"Actually, I think you would. But not now." He smiled and turned. "Thank you." He quickly went over to Black's cell. "Hello, Mr. Black," he said pleasantly.

"What are you doing here again?" he asked. "You do know what danger you are putting yourself in, right?"

"I know the danger. But I want to find out the truth."

"What do you even know?"

"It isn't exactly what I know, it's what I think. I think you are innocent and that someone did the crime. I think that Kat killed herself because you told her not to come back and that she had no reason for living other than you. I think that Remus is foolish to doubt you. And I think that a traitor is among us now, giving everything we say to You-Know-Who and his followers."

"You are taking an awful long time to figure it all out," replied Black from the back of his cell.

"I like to be thorough."

Black walked closer to the cell door, and said quietly to Jonathon, once he was close, "When you find it all out, tell Remus and Emmeline Vance. They need to know." He walked away. "Now go. You're putting yourself through enough danger."

"I can handle it. Thank you, Mr. Black. Mrs. LeStrange too was very helpful."

He glanced at his cousin. "Well, Trixie knows that she can stick everything she says about me or Kat up her bloody arse."

Jonathon smiled and turned from the cell, making his way out of the prison.

Remus returned to his house at 5:36 pm to find that Jonathon was waiting. "You've arrived," he said, sitting down on the sofa beside him. "What have you learned?"

"Not enough. I know what is going on, but I have no evidence."

"How can I help you get evidence?" asked Remus, anxious to help.

"What happened exactly in your conversation?" he said. "I need every detail."

"On the 17th, she came to my house very sad and upset. It was after her third time to see him. She only said that it was a short conversation. I tried to comfort her and convince her into telling me what happened, but she only said that she couldn't. If anyone knew that she told me, I would be in danger. Then she said that she had to go and talk to Emma." He paused. "When I owled Emma later, she said that Kat never owled her or went to find her in person. I assume that that was the time when she killed herself."

"Thank you," said Jonathon. "I am just trying to clear things up. You worried me earlier when you weren't here and there was a note unfinished on the table. It mentioned you needing to talk to me about something that could be helpful. What were you talking about?"

"Well, I just thought of what Sirius was saying—you know, what you told me. He said _search for the rat_, but you didn't quite know what that meant. Well, when we were at Hogwarts, I had three friends: Sirius, James and the kid named Peter Pettigrew. They turned into animals to help me with my monthly transformation. Sirius was a black dog. James was a stag. And Peter—Peter was a rat. When you said that, I immediately thought of Peter. But I don't think it leads anywhere. Sirius killed Peter after he killed Lily and James—if he killed them. I don't think it's worth anything."

"No, no. Thank you. That just might help." He paused, glancing at his Muggle watch. "I must be off. I have an appointment with Kat's previous boss again. I am going over every place she went before her suicide." He quickly stood up and rushed from the house with a quick goodbye.

Jonathon entered Victoria Henderson's office near six o'clock and sat before her death. "Thank you for having time to go over this again. But this time I need more details. Could you go over exactly what happened?"

"Oh, of course. I want to do anything to help with this case. Kat was a hard worker and a great friend of mine. I want her spirit to be at as much peace as we can give her." She paused, thinking back to the night that Kat quit the _Daily Prophet_. "Let's see. I asked her about the assignment and she said that she couldn't do it because of personal reasons. When I questioned her about her life with Black, she that they went to Hogwarts together along with Lily and James Potter, Emmeline Vance and two others she mentioned before, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. She said that she still loved him and that she couldn't talk with him anymore with that kind of past. Then she just quit."

"What did she say exactly about their friends?"

"Well, she said that the Potters were dead, that she was still friends with Miss Vance and Mr. Lupin, that one was running from You-Know-Who and that Black was in Azkaban. But what does all that matter?"

"It is confidential. I wouldn't want to put you in unnecessary danger. Have a lovely evening, Mrs. Henderson." He quickly left the premises and made his way to his car outside. On his hood was another note:

_You've discovered too much, Inspector Page. Sirius Black's innocence is none of your business and we want to make sure that he stays locked up and out of the way. I hope you don't mind being eliminated before you spread the blasphemy to Remus Lupin and Emmeline Vance. The truth must be hidden. Look behind you._

Jonathon turned round, pulling out his wand. He saw a figure and then all of a sudden everything was black. He knew that he wasn't dead, but he would be if he couldn't see for much longer. Why was everything black? All of a sudden, there was a bright green flash, illuminating his attacker, himself and his car. He collapsed, dead, with a note in his hands that suddenly flashed blank.


	4. The Lupine Project

**The Lupine Project**

"What is this new scheme of Lucius Malfoy's?" asked Remus Lupin. He sat down on Mad-Eye Moody's sofa, questioning the second-hand jigsaw puzzle. "I know that it is very unusual, but you and Dumbledore have not yet told me the entirety of it."

Moody hesitated. "Well," he said finally, "this scheme, so to speak, is called the Lupine Project. We haven't learned much, but there is a man named Edward Marcs that works with Malfoy and his family. Marcs is very trusted by the Order, especially Dumbledore. Marcs was a good friend of this crazy lady, Sibyll Trelawney, and that's how he started helping the Order. He's a full-fledged member now. Marcs helps us by listening in to what the Malfoy family is talking about.

"A couple weeks ago, he brought in a report about this project that Malfoy started: the Lupine Project. This is supposed to be a break-through for the Dark Arts. According to what Marcs overheard, it is a very painful potion that turns a wizard into a wolf. And, if you feed it to a wolf, it turns the wolf into a human. This is of course only for a day or two. We didn't get specifics, but it is very painful and it will be a new way for them to spy on the Order—and kill some innocent civilians without causing a panic. People won't be able to tell that it was actually a human. It would be sort of like a werewolf—only much more painful. No offense meant."

Remus nodded his head in understanding. "So Marcs is getting this information for us?"

"Yes."

"What if he gets caught?"

"We all have the potential to get caught, Lupin."

"I know, but are you sure we can trust him?"

"Dumbledore trusts him and I trust Dumbledore."

Remus nodded. "I know."

Just at that moment the post arrived. Moody went over to the window, took the _Daily Prophet_ from the beak of the bird and put in a few Knuts. After a quick skim over the paper, he put it down in front of Remus, saying, "Sorry about the bad news."

Remus looked at the headline and the picture on the front page. There he saw a picture of Jonathon Page's corpse next to the PI's car. He read the first couple lines, explaining how a teenage Muggle had found him and called 911. The Muggles couldn't find any cause of death and the Ministry of Magic immediately took over. He had been killed and found the night before. "Damn," he muttered. "I told him not to push his nose too far in." He paused, thinking about why he would be killed. "He must have found something."

"What was Page investigating?" asked Moody.

"He was trying to figure out something about Sirius," he mumbled.

"Black, the traitor?"

"Yeah. Jon didn't think that Sirius killed Lily and James. I don't know why. Sirius was their Secret Keeper. Who else could have done it?" He hesitated to continue and then said, "Kat didn't think that Sirius did it either. But I agree with her previous employer that that was just love clouding her vision."

Moody nodded in agreement. "She shouldn't have killed herself. She was a good girl, but Black clouded her from the truth. I don't know how he could have convinced her that he was innocent. Rotten man."

"You have to think about it though: she did love that rotten man."

Ed Marcs slowly made his way through the Malfoy Manor, listening to the wind howl outside as the storm passed over. He glowered when he saw five-year-old Draco Malfoy, knowing he would end up just like his god-forsaken father. "Good evening, Master Draco," he said, bowing to the boy before continuing on. He made his way to Lucius Malfoy's study and knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter," came the hollow reply.

Ed slowly opened the door and walked in. He set down the coffee before the man, seated at his desk. "Your coffee, sir," he said, bowing before turning to walk out of the room.

"Wait, Mr. Marcs," called out Malfoy.

"Yes, sir?" He turned to look at him.

"You may take your break from now until this evening. I shall have no need for you." Ed understood that. It didn't mean that he wasn't needed. It meant that he was throwing him out so that he could work on the Lupine Project.

"Yes, Master Malfoy," he said, bowing lowly. "I thank you, sir." With that he left the manor and Apparated to the outside of Mad-Eye Moody's house. He knew that he could trust Moody, the only other person he trusted so well aside from Dumbledore. He quickly knocked on the door. A few seconds later, right before he was about to knock again, Moody appeared at the doorway. "We need to talk now," he said in a hushed voice.

"Come on in," he said. Moody led him out into the living room, where Ed saw another person. "This is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Ed Marcs, the one I've been telling you about."

Lupin stood up and Ed shook his hand, taking a confused glance at Moody.

"You can trust him, Marcs. He's a good and honest member."

Ed nodded and the three sat down. "I have news from the Malfoy Manor."

"Well, come on, boy, don't hold it in," rushed Moody.

"I was able to find out that Lucius Malfoy isn't the only one making the serum at this time. He and a bunch of other faithful Death Eaters are actually making it, but it is staying at the Manor. Once they finish this first brew, they are going to send bits of it out to everyone and they are each going to make their own to compare." He paused, looking warily at Lupin. "I have yet to destroy what is there now, but he gave me this time off, wanting me out of the house so that they can work. They are doing it until this evening. I have formulated a plan."

"What is this plan?" asked Lupin. "Once you destroy it, they will still know how to make it. Won't they?"

"There is only one person who knows how to make it, the exact instructions. That person is Phillip Knox. Knox is a Potions Master and came up with the idea from the blood inside a werewolf. He alternated it and _viola_! The Lupine Project was created. I don't know the extent of what it can do, but I know it is more than a little shape changing. If you want humans into animals and animals into humans, there are simple spells for that—or becoming an Animagus. It has to be more than that."

Moody nodded. "Sounds simple enough. Will you need back-up on this?" he asked.

"None whatsoever."

"Be careful, Marcs," said Moody as Ed made his way to the door. "Once you kill this Knox fellow, get the hell out of there."

Ed nodded in agreement. "You bet your arse I will." He grinned and Disapparated back to the Malfoy Manor.

When he arrived, he quietly made his way toward the cellar, where they brewed the potion. He took out his wand and made an invisibility charm so that they could not see him. He then went down the stone steps and halted at a large, thick wooden door. The door was a crack open and he was able to see inside. He could see five or six people inside. He saw those blokes Crabbe and Goyle. He also saw Miranda and Xavier Nott. And, of course, there was Phillip Knox watching over the procedure. He knew that Lucius Malfoy was in there, adding up to six people of which he knew. But there had to be more. It was then that he heard voices.

"Bring that jug over here!" snapped the voice of Lucius Malfoy. Miranda Nott took the jug of blue liquid she was carrying over to Malfoy with Knox following her.

"Don't do it like that, imbecile," said Knox. "You'll spoil it. It must be poured in slowly or else it will become sour."

"Well, why don't you do it your-damn-self!"

There was a pause of silence, during which the jug of blue liquid was emptied into the pot that Ed knew was there. Then the jug was tossed aside.

"Nott," called Malfoy, looking to Xavier Nott, "go get Narcissa. She should be in her room on the third floor."

Ed got out of the way just in time and Mr. Nott hurried past him. The door was left wide open and he could see in completely. He was just about to enter when Knox carefully slipped out of the room bringing along Miranda Nott. They weren't noticed when they left the room and Ed was forced to move out of their way again. _They_ shut the door and Ed was outside of the cellar with them. Knox pushed Nott up against the wall and smothered her mouth with his while ripping off her robes. He started to rip open her shirt—and Ed immediately looked away in disgust.

Thankfully the door opened again, revealing Malfoy. He looked at the position they were in, with Nott's robes and shirt on the floor, and smirked. "Knox, the potion's ready for the next stage." He paused. "I'll give you a few minutes to clean yourselves up. Remember, she's married and she has a child." He closed the door.

The two of them quickly fixed their clothes and Knox opened the door. Ed rushed in and started to form a plan. Sure, he had a plan but that was just in general. Finally he had it and he decided to put it into action when Xavier Nott and Narcissa Malfoy returned. At last they did and he conjured a quick rock placed in front of Nott. Mr. Nott stepped on it—and tripped, falling into Mrs. Malfoy… and the cauldron, which immediately fell over, spill onto the floor. With a flick of his wand, Ed turned off the electricity and the power went out. Another flick—and the potion had completely disappeared. Then, with another flick, the power went back on and flickered. He located Knox and went to him. He turned off the electricity again and took Knox's wand, doing the same spells that he had just done with his own wand. And then, with the power out, he said, "_Avada Kadavra!_" in a whisper. There was a green flash and he dropped Knox's wand. He turned the power on and made for the door.

"Where do you think you're going, Marcs?" snapped the voice of Lucius Malfoy. He turned and saw a wand pointed at him. Ed was confused. Did Malfoy recognize his voice? Had his invisibility been worn off? "A simple spell and the Shielding Magic in this room is taken away. Very clever. The Lupine Project can no longer be created. But something else can be destructed."


	5. The Marcs Abstraction

**The Marcs Abstraction**

"What do you mean he's disappeared?" snapped Remus Lupin. He looked closely at Mad-Eye Moody in front of him. "Marcs is just gone?"

"Yes, how many times do I have to say it? He was probably caught while trying to escape. I just hope that he succeeded in his mission."

"His _mission_? The Order of the Phoenix was disbanded! If anything, it was a suicide mission. You sent him there, where he probably met his death. And before that he would have been tortured. The Cruciatus Curse over and over, because he didn't succeed in his _mission_."

"He did it of his own free will, Lupin," shot back Moody. "Don't you forget that! He chose to go on that _suicide_ mission of his own free will. I didn't make him. He planned and piloted it. It was his idea and I only allowed him to do it. Even if I had known his fate, I would have let him continue with his plan. His death—although, we still don't know if he's dead or not—was something that had to be done. And it wasn't done in vain. It was a sacrifice we had to make."

"A sacrifice for a belief that is dying? The Order was disbanded and people are still doing missions for it? Voldemort's gone and we're just trying to clean up after him. We're just like his servants if we keep doing this. It's a clean-up course, not for saviors. Plenty of people have died, even after Voldemort's defeat, and we're just picking up the trash?"

"We're doing all we can!"

"We're doing nothing, damn it! Professor Dumbledore disbanded the Order and you're picking up where he left off. You can't push everyone into this. They don't want to deal with it. Too many loved ones are dead and gone."

"I shouldn't have included you in the first place. If Dumbledore disbanded the Order, I can still get some people together to help get rid of the remaining faithful Death Eaters. Besides, even Dumbledore says this thing isn't over. I don't think Voldemort is dead." He paused and turned away. "You've become weak, Lupin. Lily and James are dead--murdered. Black's in Azkaban for their deaths and Peter's. Kat commit suicide. All you have left is Emma and how much time have you spent with her since Kat died? It's been nearly two weeks and you're leaving out your only friend left. Even that Page fellow is dead."

"Oh, gee thanks for just shoving that all in my face," replied Remus. "I really want to hear all about the death and destruction in my life. You know, the murder of my friends and the suicide of one? I just love to hear about how we wish they could be with us right now but can't be. And not spending time with the only one left. Yeah, that's best thing you've ever said to me. I just love to feel guilty."

"Stop being facetious, Lupin." Moody glanced back at him. "If you don't want to be included in this mess, you can leave and not come back. I wouldn't want you to go on a _suicide_ mission."

Remus stood up and walked out of Moody's house, leaving an angry man with more pieces missing than a second-hand jigsaw puzzle. He then made his way to his own apartment.

Emmeline Vance slowly walked down the hall, past many Dementors. Finally (and thankfully) she came to cell number 286. She turned to man inside. "Hello, Sirius," she said with a small smile. She walked up close to the bars and looked him over. "How's life in prison?"

"Just smashing," he said sarcastically. "Hey, Vance. What are you doing here?"

Emma hesitated. "I obviously came to see you."

"Well, why?"

"I miss my friends," she replied quietly.

"Oh, why don't you go snog Lupin?"

"Shut up, Sirius. You know that ended years ago."

"That doesn't mean it can't pick up again. I know that it ended in our last year at Hogwarts. But I also know that you still liked him five years ago."

She blushed. "Yeah. Still do. But it's not like he's even in a good mood. After Kat died, things just started happening. You know that we hired Jonathon Page to find her and he found her body, all right. So then he was investigating who would have killed her or why she would commit suicide. It was suicide, in case you weren't told. I know you two were still in love."

"What started happening?" He took a seat on the floor near the bars.

"Well, I don't know what Inspector Page found out, but he was murdered for it. There were two notes on his body. One was a warning to stay away from the case and that he would get into trouble. He had obviously ignored it. The second was blank. There was magical residue, but we couldn't find out what it had previously said.

"But that isn't all. Then Remus was talking with Moody about something called the Lupine Project. It had something to do with werewolves. I don't know what exactly. I don't even think they did. And their investigator was captured or murdered or something. Edward Marcs had disappeared."

"That all?"

"With death, yes. Still, Remus had a fight with Moody a couple days ago. I hadn't spoken to either since right after Kat died. Remus finally went to see me last night." There was a faint blush on her cheeks. "Even if Kat was in love with you, I believed her when she told me that she knows you're innocent. I don't want to know how or why or anything. I just want you to know that I believe her. Remus, on the other hand, just thinks that it's love getting in the way. He refused when I asked him to come with me."

Sirius nodded. "It's okay. I understand. I just wish that Kat had told you guys why she believed me. But I have a feeling that that's why Page is dead. I'm just glad that she commit suicide instead of being murdered."

Emma nodded her agreement to that matter. She glanced around, noticing the other people in prison. She noticed Bellatrix LeStrange not too far away. "They're listening, aren't they?" she asked, looking back at him.

"Yes, and that puts you in danger. Emma, I'm gonna get out of here, no matter what. It doesn't matter how, not now anyway. But I will get out. And when I get out, I want my friends to still be alive. That means you and Remus. You need to take good care of him." He paused and looked closely at her. "That means that you have to be alive. You can't come back here like Kat. They're listening and they know that we know. I'm betting that if you find out—or at least give them reason to believe that you have found out—the truth, why Jonathon Page was murdered, then they'll kill you too… Moony as well. And you two better be alive when I get out."

She nodded with a small smirk. "It was wonderful to see you again, Sirius. I hope you see you again soon." She started to walk away.

"Oh, and, Emma," he called as she turned back to him, "take good care of him."

"There's no way I wouldn't," she replied and left, feeling much happier than she had in three and half weeks.

"What are you talking about, Remus?" asked Emma. "You can't just rush into this! It isn't safe. You're putting your life at risk. Besides it's not like you would want to see Sirius again. That would be the only way."

"Not the only way," replied Remus. "Jon must have found something from someone other than _him_. Anything from _him_ wouldn't be evidence. Just think about where he was found. Jon was with his car in the parking lot outside of the _Daily Prophet_. He had a meeting with Victoria Henderson, Kat's old boss. Maybe he learned something from her."

"So you're going to investigate this on your own? That's mad! It's stupid." But he was ignoring her now, glancing through notes and papers on his desk. "You bloody idiot!" she screamed. "You can't do this. I won't let you."

"It's not like you can stop me, Emma." He didn't even look up at her. "I'm going to do it and I'm doing it alone."

"If you're doing it at all, there's no way in hell I'd let you do it by yourself. I'm going with you, wherever you go, or you aren't going at all." She crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips, looking down at him.

He finally moved his head up and stared at her. "I can't let you do that, Emma." He hesitated and then said quietly, "It's too dangerous."

Her face softened somewhat but she stayed stern. "Whether you let me or not, I'm still going with you. It's too dangerous for you to be out there alone. Besides, Sirius told me to take good care of you."

"Oh, so you listen to him and not to me?" he said, rolling his eyes.

"To protect you."

"Fine, you can come," he said, giving in.

She smirked. "So where are we going? What are we doing? What is it?"

He chuckled and handed her his notes. "Somewhere we haven't been to in a long time. I'm supposed to meet someone there that has always seemed suspicious and I have a feeling that he is a murderer."

Emma took the few papers and glanced through them, taking in a name that appeared multiple times and in large print. "Lucius Malfoy?" she asked, looking up at him.

Remus nodded. "Marcs was at Malfoy's house destroying the Lupine Project when he disappeared. I'm pretty sure Malfoy caught him and tortured him, finally killing him."

"Sounds like the Malfoy I remember. Imperius Curse, my arse."

"You sure that you want to join me for this?"

"Of course, I'm coming."

"It's going to be dangerous."

Emma looked at him closely. "That's exactly why I'm coming with you. I promised Sirius that I wouldn't let you get hurt if it was within my power, so I am coming with you."

"Fine."

"So you think he killed Marcs?"

"Yes."

Remus and Emma made their way down the dark street around midnight. There were no stars tonight and no moon, to Remus's delight. Soon they found that Lucius Malfoy had not yet arrived so they halted and waited for him. Suddenly a dark figure (as if it could be any other color in the lack of light) appeared out of nowhere and glanced around.

"Could that be him?" whispered Emma.

"Could be."

"Mr. Lupin?" the figure called out.

"I'm guessing it is." He turned toward the dark man, saying, "Mr. Malfoy."

"Ah, there you are Mr. Lupin." Then he noticed Emma behind him. "What is your girlfriend doing here, Lupin?"

"You remember Emma Vance, correct?" He paused, allowing Malfoy to nod. "And she's not my girlfriend."

Emma had turned a pale pink as she walked closer behind Remus.

"Oh, yes, pardon me: _ex_-girlfriend."

Remus scowled.

"So what is it that you two want?"

"Do you know what has become of Ed Marcs—you know, the man that worked for you until his disappearance?" asked Remus.

"Why, of course, I do. He's dead."

"Lovely of you to be so blunt," said Emma.

Malfoy ignored her. "And I also know who killed him."

"Who was it? You?" she asked.

"Actually, it was Miranda Nott. After Marcs killed the man she was having an affair with, she was a bit pissed off." He paused and smirked. "I just tortured him."

"And I was thinking that it was Malfoy that was the murderer."

"Oh, Emma, I still have no doubt that he is a murderer," replied Remus.

"Marcs did have to be eliminated, after all," continued Malfoy. "Just like you two."

"I told you not to come, Emma."

"I came to protect you, idiot. It isn't my fault that you set up this little meeting in the first place."

"Oh, how touching." Malfoy took a step toward them and then cried out, "Get him! But leave the girl to me." With that he grabbed Emma's wrist and dragged her away as a dozen other dark wizards jumped out of the shadows.


	6. The Malfoy Snare

**The Malfoy Snare**

Emmeline Vance fought. With her free right hand, she grabbed her wand out of her jacket pocket and aimed at him. But Lucius Malfoy was too fast for her. Within a second, he had grabbed her wand and tossed it aside, shoving her up against the wall of the nearest building. Next thing she knew, his lips were on hers, forcing her head against the stone wall. She was taken by complete shock and, though she would not admit it to anyone but herself, a little bit of fear.

But she still fought, even when he unzipped her jacket to reveal her white blouse underneath. Her hands clawed at his, trying to force them away from her. She attempted to kick him, but his entire body had her forced up against the wall and she could feel lust emanating from him. She was disgusted by it. As his hands made their way down to her short skirt, he somewhat pulled her away from the wall and she took her chance, kneeing him in the groin.

Malfoy pulled away from her and fell to the ground, clutching at the injured area. He looked up at her in annoyance and pain. He sucked it up and went after her. He grabbed his wand and pointed it at her just as she grabbed hers, her blouse and skirt somewhat disheveled. "Where are you going?" he asked, walking up to her crouched form.

Emma looked at him in disgust as she stood up, pointing her wand at him. He stopped, looking over her. Her eyes bored into his face, but he wasn't looking back at her face; he was still looking her up and down. "You're repulsive, Malfoy. You're married and you have a child. Yet, you still go after girls that would rather shag your wife than you." She smirked, as he looked up at her, ready to attack. "I suppose that your wife doesn't give a damn? Well, guess what, I'm pretty sure she does. She's just too damn afraid of you—although, I don't know why. But it isn't like you care about her. You have your heir so now you can have any girl you want? Very funny, Malfoy."

He stared at her. "At least I'm not in love with a werewolf. He's all that you have left. Isn't he supposed to be your friend?"

"All I have left, my arse."

"Oh, yes, you also have the blood traitor in Azkaban—my bad."

Emma's face stiffened.

He cackled.

"Shut your face, Malfoy!" she yelled. Suddenly there was a bright red flash a few houses away. Her face flew in that direction and she cried, "Remus!"

"_Expelliarmus_!" cried Malfoy, taking his chance, and her wand flew out of her hand and into his. He grinned as she turned back to him angrily. In his left hand, he snapped her wand and dropped it to the cement. He cackled again.

"I'm beginning to get sick every time I hear that laugh," she muttered. There was a crash of lightning not far away and the dark clouds above them starting pelting down rain. Soon the rain was pouring down, which made her white blouse almost invisible and one could see her undergarments through it.

"_Accio_," he said, pointing his wand at her, and she was lifted off the ground as she flew toward him.

A sudden pop near them distracted Malfoy though, and he moved his wand, taking off the spell. She fell toward the ground but something stopped her when she was merely an inch from the cement. She was then let down slowly onto the ground, which was covered with a thin layer of water rushing about. She sat up and looked at Malfoy, who was looking at something behind her. She grabbed her jacket that was beside her and slipped it on before turning around. "Remus?" she said.

"Emma, are you alright?" he asked, his wand pointed straight at Malfoy.

"I'm fine." She stood up and got out of the way of their wand, making her way over to Remus Lupin.

"Do you have something we could use as a port key?" he asked.

She nodded and simply took off her jacket again, thanking God that it was too dark for Remus to see her black bra under her blouse.

"_Portus_!" he said, pointing at the jacket but still watching Malfoy. He then grabbed it with his left hand, his right still pointed at the blonde man before them. With a pull at their navels, they were transported away. A moment later, they arrived at Remus's apartment. He took her jacket from her hands and laid it down on the sofa beside them, getting the couch wet but not caring.

Again, she was thanking God that it was too dark for him to notice that her blouse was see-through. "What happened back there?" she asked; she was curious as to what happened after Malfoy had dragged her away.

"If you hadn't been there, I would have Apparated away, but I couldn't just leave you. So I stayed and fought so that I could see where he took you. I'm lucky that you didn't go far. I saw him turn down an alley, and guessed he would either try to snog you or take you somewhere else… probably Malfoy Manor."

"You stayed and fought them? Are you hurt?" She looked over his body, searching for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"Don't be silly." Then she noticed a gash on his arm; blood had poured out onto his coat. She quickly moved toward him and took off his coat. "I'm gonna take a look at that."

"Oh, come on," he said, clenching his teeth as he moved the arm out of the coat. "I'm a werewolf. You know we heal quickly."

"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to at least get rid of the pain and bandage it up."

"Fine."

"It had better be fine," she snapped. She went to his closet and brought out his Wizard first-aide kit. She opened it up and took out Magi-Gauze and some Spellotape. Once she clarified that it wasn't a very deep cut, she applied some magical ointment and wrapped it in the Magi-Gauze, taping it shut with the Spellotape. She quickly put the first-aide kit away, and gave him a glass of water and a magical instant pain reliever pill. "There!" she said at last.

"Took you long enough," he joked.

She pursed her lips. "Feel better?" she asked.

"Very much so." He watched her sit down on the couch beside him, noticing that she was slightly shaking. He got up and grabbed a fresh white towel. After handing it to her, Remus began to turn on the lights. "It's a little cold in here and I don't want you to get sick." He flipped the switch and light filled the room. "So let's get you out of those wet clothes." He turned around. He quickly saw that she was standing and had dropped the towel to floor, her mouth slightly open in surprise. He also noticed that he could see her black bra through her blouse and froze, blushing furiously.

Emma smirked, looking at his face. "Hmm," she said, "get out of these wet clothes? Sounds good to me." She then began to unbutton her blouse and moved toward him. Once she dropped her shirt to the floor, she was standing right in front of him. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. Finally she pulled away, smiling at him. "Remus—"

He silenced her with another kiss, this one much more passionate. His hands made their way to her waist and then up to her back so that they could undo the clasp of her bra. The two of them slowly made their way to his bedroom, stringing their clothes about the apartment until they reached his bed and collapsed upon it.


	7. The Vance Resentment

**The Vance Resentment**

Remus Lupin woke up in the morning with his arms wrapped around the woman he loved. And at that time, he felt happy, happier than he had been in about ten years. It had been that long since he had been with Emmeline Vance before, that long since Hogwarts. He glanced at the clock. It was 11:09 am. He thought about getting up, but then he decided against it and snuggled closer to Emma. He sighed and said quietly to himself, "Emma, I love you."

"I know you do." She rolled over and kissed him sweetly. After pulling away, she said, "What? Surprised?"

"Just a little bit. I thought you were asleep."

"Well, too bad. I'm not." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could, afraid to let him go.

He almost laughed. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know. I won't let you."

"We're going to have to get up eventually."

"Don't remind me." She laid her face upon his chest and sighed in contentment. "Remus, I don't want you to leave me ever again. Why did we even break up?"

"You got scared when I told you that I was a werewolf—all right, you were barely scared but you were also upset that I hadn't told you sooner."

"I remember distinctly that it wasn't me that said we shouldn't be together."

"And after that, I—very stupidly, mind you—said that we couldn't be together because I was afraid that, after the shock wore off, you would resent me."

"I could never resent you, Remus. I love you."

"I was seventeen."

"So was I."

Remus regretfully sat up. "It's time to get up."

"Oh, do we have to?" she asked, sitting as well but pulling the sheets up to her chest to cover it—even if it was only Remus there.

"Yes, it's quarter after eleven o'clock."

"Fine." He slowly got out of bed and kissed her one last time before going into the bathroom. She collapsed onto the pillow with a very long head-over-heels sigh.

Later that day, Emmeline Vance sat at the table in his kitchen, next to Remus Lupin (her best friend and lover). She sighed in slight annoyance. "You're going to keep investigating? Listen; if we find out why Jon Page was killed, we'll probably get killed too. I already believe that Sirius is innocent and I'm guessing that that is the reason that he was killed. He got evidence. And don't you think that the stupid Death Eaters would prefer Sirius to be in Azkaban instead of out chasing after them? They didn't have a good reason, but that's what they do!"

"I can't just believe that Sirius is innocent. James was my best friend and I can't think about his murderer so lightly. If it wasn't Sirius, who was it?"

"I don't know. But I don't care."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sure, I'd like to know who killed Lily and James, but they've been dead for over five years." Emma took his hand at that and held it to her chest. "Remus, I love you and you are all I care about right now. Can't we just forget them for once?"

"Forget them? We can't just forget them?"

"It's been five years!" she cried. "We will always have our memories of them and everyone else, but it's been five years. We need to move on with our lives. They would want us to do that. They would want us to be together."

"I don't think they would want us to not know who their murderer was."

"In due time, Remus, all in due time. We will know some day. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps in another five years. Who really knows?"

"I don't know who really knows, but I want to _really_ know." He took his hand away from her. "I'm going to go. You can stay here if you want."

"Where are you going to go?" she asked.

"I'm not sure now. I need to go for a walk."

"Fine." She got up and went back to his bedroom, throwing herself on the bed.

Remus Lupin made his way around the block, many thoughts moving through is mind. He didn't know where he was going but he needed to know the truth. He had to know who really killed Lily and James Potter if it wasn't Sirius. He needed to know what made Kat Watson commit suicide. He needed to know why Sirius killed Peter if Sirius was innocent—or what really happened that night. He needed to know who killed Jon Page. He needed to know the truth.

After coming to the conclusion that he wasn't going to get anywhere just walking around, he thought about visiting the _Daily Prophet_ to meet with Victoria Henderson but then decided against it. He also decided against seeing Sirius, still to upset with the possibilities—and the probability that it was Sirius that murdered Lily and James. Besides, Emma was correct when she said something about whatever Sirius might have said would not be evidence. He could always hire another P.I., but that person would probably get killed too.

With that, he realized that the only way he was going to find out the truth was if he did exactly what Jon did—except the getting killed. But even if he was killed, he would feel better, more at peace. Of course, he couldn't quite figure out exactly what Jonathon Page did and he didn't want to visit Sirius. But he knew he had to if he was to learn the truth.

Azkaban Prison was looming over him. Remus Lupin slowly made his way inside and eventually to cell number 286 was in view. He paused, not sure if he could continue. He took another step forward, but then decided against it and turned around. He just couldn't face him. Sirius had been one of his best friends, and, if he did the murders, he couldn't just forgive him. He couldn't do it—not just yet. He the hurriedly made his way away from the island in the sea.

Emmeline Vance sat in wait at Remus Lupin's apartment. After having some lasagna for dinner, she sat and watched _The Goonies_, which was made in 1985. It was one of her favorite movies and she was glad that he had the movie. Finally, around 11:00 pm, Remus came in. She shut off the movie just as "Captain" Chunk and Sloth came to save the day. Getting up, she made her way over to him, still somewhat annoyed. "So," she said, "what did you find out?"

"Absolutely nothing," he said dazedly.

"When will you learn?"

He ignored that comment and sat down at his desk to go through more papers.

After seeing what he was doing, she grew very irritated. "Remus, you can't keep on doing this! You need sleep. Have you even had lunch or dinner? You've learned nothing and you want to keep searching. Sure, it's been only a day and it was obvious that Page didn't learn everything in a day, but seriously."

"Go away. I'm trying to work."

She clenched her teeth. "Remus, it's after eleven o'clock. You need to at least get some sleep before you go back to this. I'm worried about you."

"I can't," he said. "I need to find out the truth. Maybe then I can go see Sirius."

"Maybe then you can be dead!" she screamed. "Are you just going to ignore everything else? Your happiness? Your hunger? Your sleep? Your life, Remus? Are you going to ignore your life?" She snatched his hand and held it tight, making him turn to her. "Damn it, Remus, I love you. I can't let you do this!"

"I can do whatever the hell I want!" he snapped and pulled away from her.

The tears that had already started welling up in her eyes were loosed and she let out a regretful sigh. "Then I shouldn't have let it happen," she said quietly. She barely noticed him glance at her before going back to his work. "Remus," she said seriously, catching his attention at how calm and resolute she was, "if you do this, I shall resent you forever."

"Emma," he sighed, "I have to."

"No, you don't. But I can tell you want it more than you want me." She paused, her calm voice now dissipating. "You lied to me!" she screamed before grabbing her jacket and storming from his residence. "I never want to see you again!" She slammed the door and broke into tears outside his room.

Sirius Black sat in cell number 286, hoping against hope that at least someone would visit him. And although he was at first unaware of the footsteps growing closer, he was surprised that someone did visit him. "I'm getting a lot of visits lately," he said as Emma Vance stood before him. He looked at her closely and saw that her eyes were red and puffy—which wasn't exactly the prettiest site in the world. "What's wrong, Emma?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing."

"Oh, come on, Vance."

"It's just Remus."

"What did the loon do now?"

"He lied to me."

"What did he say?" He was now extremely curious as to what could make he so upset.

"Really, you don't want to bother yourself in my love life."

"Well, it would be pretty fun as I have none since I'm in Azkaban and… you know. But if you don't want to talk about it, then I'll live. So what's going on? What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see a friendly face. There are so few right now. And I can't even talk to Remus because he's obsessing about finding out the truth about Lily and James's death. I swear, he's gonna get himself killed."

Sirius nodded in understanding.

Remus Lupin sat down at his desk again, having not slept in two days and eaten only once a day. "Damn!" he said, tossing aside the folder he was looking through. The papers were tossed about the room and her groaned in annoyance. He got up and laid down on the sofa with a heavy sigh. He laid his left hand on his forehead and glanced outside. It was growing dark and there were only five days until the full moon. He sighed again and looked at the ceiling.

The full moon wasn't what was bothering him. He always dreaded it, but he had learned to live with it. But he didn't think he could learn to live with his latest mistake. Still, he knew that he would have to deal with the consequences. He could try to speak with her, but Emma would ignore him and leave. He hadn't lied to her when he said that he loved her. He did. It was just all this murder and things coming up. He wanted to know the truth, yes, but was it really worth losing her? He was in love with her but he had a feeling that she could never feel that way again.

He slowly got up and sat down at his desk, organizing his papers, then, putting them in their rightful place. He stood up and walked around the room, picking up the papers before throwing them into the trash. He knew that he could no longer be with Emma Vance, the woman he had loved since he was sixteen years old, but he wouldn't completely throw his life away for a cause that would only give people pain.

* * *

_Well, that's the end of it, folks. I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted. Depressing, I know, but it doesn't fit with canon otherwise. Besides, we all know now that Remus and Sirius made up and that Remus fell in love (again, to correspond with this fic). So there kind of is a happy ending... even if all of them die. But whatever._

_Thanks so much for reading this. Please leave me a review!_

_Anatui_


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